Construction of storage battery containers



Dec. 27, 1938. c. L. KELLER 2,141,791

CONSTRUCTION F STORAGE BATTERY CONTAINERS Filed May 6, 1956 INVENTOR, CHA/e1. s L. /1 ELL Efe.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Dec. l27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-ICE CONSTRUCTION lOF STORAGE BATTERY CONTAINERS Charles L. Keller, Cincinnati, Ohio, assignor to The Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a

corporation o! Ohio v'Ihe making of a storage battery container, 1 comprising a metal shell lined and coated with rubber or some other suitable composition, has hereto been suggested in the art'and presents certain advantages. The use of a metal shell for only the exterior walls and bottom of the container, with the molding of the partition ele- 1 ments of the case' from the composition alone, is disadvantageous. But the use of metal partiu tion members to be coated with the rubber or other composition has been attended with a large numberof commercial and operating troubles and has not been found entirely feasible. Not only is there a tendency for warpage to occur in these metal partition members, but the members themselves if spot welded or otherwise fastened to the outer shell, tend frequently to be ripped loose. Even where this does not occur, there are disadvantageous strains set up in the structure which lead to distortion, and .may result in failure.

It is an object of my invention to provide means and a method to overcome .these disadvantages in a construction, all parts of which are reinforced. This and other objects of my invention which will be set forth hereinafter, or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications I accomplish by that certain construction and arrangement of parts of which 30.11 shall now describe an exemplary embodiment.

Reference ismade to the drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an outer reinforcement member.

Figure 2 is a' perspective view of an inner, or

partition forming 'reinforcement member.

Figure 3 is a view, with parts-in section, showing the two reinforcing structures in assembled relationship.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the finished storage battery container.

Figure 5 is a sectional viewv of the container taken along the lines 5-5 of Figure 4.

I shall not describe in detail the methods whereby arubber or other composition is molded in connection with a reinforcement structure, since any of those methods which are known in the art may be employed. Briey, in the practice of my invention I provide an outer reinforcing structure of box shape, such as that vshown in Figure 1 and having side walls I and 2, end

' walls 3 and 4, and a bottom member 5. I prefer to make this box, or container, of metal, altho other reinforcing structures are useable;,and my invention is not limited to a metallic reinforcement; also, my invention is not limited to a structure 1n wmch the reinforcement 1s 11ned'- with rubber or other suitable composition, both within and without, altho this is to be preferred. The

reinforcement may have any configuration desired and may be provided also with handle struc- 5 tures or with thickened, ribbed or corrugated portions for strength and stiffness. The outer reinforcing structure is, as shown, not provided with any integral partitions. The partitions, on the contrary, are formed as a separate struc- 10 ture, such as that shown in Figure 2, where a box shaped member is provided, preferably, though not necessarily, open at the bottom, and compris- Y ing side walls or partition members B and 1, and end walls 8 and 9. The proportions of this strucl5 ture are such that it may be placed inside the structure of Figure 1, forming therewith a relatively snug t.-

In the practice of my in vention, therefore, I provide a partition structure which is essentially 20 separate from the outer reinforcing member, and is -free to iioat therein during the molding operation for the equalization of strains; also the partition structure is preferably of integral box shape so that it can resist as a unit any stresses 25 set up by the composition which is molded within it, thereby tending to relieve distorting stresses on the ywhole'storage battery'container. As indicated, the partition structure nts relatively snugly into the outer container, butthis is not 30 a limitation on my invention since, if desired,

` some portions of the composition may be molded between the walls'l and 2 of the outer 'container, and the walls 8 and 9 of the partition structure;v also, if desired, the walls 8 and 9 of 35 the partition structure may be cut away in part,

1 or perforated, so as to permit a bonding of the composition parts inside it, with the walls of the outer container, orwith masses of composition thereagainst. Excepting for such attachment as 40 occurs thru the molding of the composition against the several parts, I have found it preferable to leave my partition structure otherwise entirely free from the outer reinforcing structure for reasons which will be clear, altho it is possi- 45 ble to' secure good results in most instances by tacking the partition structure to the outer reinforcement members at one or two spots substantially centrally of the walls 8 and 9, as by spot welding. storage battery case, embodying my invention, is shown in Figure 4 wherer the side walls of the container are shown'at I0 and Il, the end walls at I2 and I3, and the partitions at I4` and I5. Figure 5 shows in section the storage battery 65 An exemplary form of a completed 50 container of Figure 4, and indicates'the relal tionship of the several parts.

In a container of the type of my invention, very little dimculty is had in manufacture, and those difiicult'ies which have hitherto arisen due to the unequal contraction and expansion of the composition of the reinforcement members when them together, said partition reinforcing member beingdisposed within said outer reinforcing member, and the whole interior surfaces, at least, of the structure being covered with a molding composition, the inner and outer reinforcing members being otherwise free of .each other.

2. In a moulded storage battery container or the like an outer reinforcing member, comprising side, end and bottom parts, forming a rigid structure, and a partition reinforcing member, comprising partition reinforcing parts and endwise means connecting said parts Ytogether as a unit, the second mentioned structure being disposed inside the rst mentioned structure and connected therewith in such a way as to permit movement of partition parts with reference to the parts of the outer reinforcing member, under conditions of unequal expansion thereof, lthe interior surfaces at least of said composite structure being covered with a. molding composition.

CHARLES L. KELLER.. 

